In general, portable data search and display apparatuses, such as MP3 (short for MPEG-1 or 2 Audio, Layer 3) players, electronic dictionaries, mobile phones etc., are each equipped with a scroll device like FIG. 1. The scroll device enables any user to search and select desired data.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional scroll device having a plurality of touch pads 1 consisting of touch pads P0 to PN and a touch sensor 2 connected with them.
As shown in FIG. 1, the touch pads P0 to PN are vertically arranged in a row.
Each touch pad generates a resistance or capacitance at the touch of a user's finger. Thereby, the plurality of touch pads relay information based on the user's contact.
The touch sensor 2 is connected to the plurality of touch pads 1 and generates data corresponding to a position on the touch pad where the resistance or capacitance is generated, which is the position where the user touches the touch pad.
The scroll device of FIG. 1 is applied to a conventional data search and display apparatus. The conventional data search and display apparatus analyzes data output from the scroll device to scroll a display screen up when the user touches anywhere on the upper half of the row of touch pads P0 to PN and down when the user touches anywhere on the lower half of the touch pads P0 to PN.
In this manner, the conventional data search and display apparatus performs a scroll operation using the scroll device.
Meanwhile, data search and display apparatuses are gradually increasing in a storage capacity. Hence, when searching for desired data using the scroll device, there is a need for more frequent scroll operations.
For example, assuming that the data search and display apparatus is a hard disc type MP3 player in which about 10,000 pieces of music are stored, one line is required for the title of a piece of music, and the data search and display apparatus can display 10 lines at a time, 1,000 scroll operations are required to search through the music from start to finish.
Therefore, as the storage capacity of data search and display apparatuses increases, so does the need for a new type of data searching method.
To this end, the present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for searching and displaying data, in which any user can rapidly and easily search for desired data using a scroll device having a plurality of touch pads.